Statesman of great dignity, irreparable loss: Cong condoles Patil's demise
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday condoled the death of veteran party leader Shivraj Patil, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing him as a statesman of great dignity who served the nation with distinction.
Senior Congress leader and former Union home minister Shivraj Patil breathed his last at his home in Maharashtra's Latur on Friday morning after a brief illness, family sources said. He was 90.
His funeral is expected to be held on Saturday, they said.
"Deeply saddened by the passing of former Union Home Minister, Former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran Congress leader Shri Shivraj Patil. He was an honoured senior colleague with whom I shared a close bond and many cherished memories," Kharge said.
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"A statesman of great dignity, Shri Patil served the nation with distinction, holding key Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibilities and contributing significantly to India's Democratic institutions," the Congress chief said.
"His demise is a profound loss for the Congress Party and for all who admired his integrity, composure and commitment to public service," Kharge said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also condoled Patil's death.
"The news of the passing of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil ji is deeply saddening and an irreparable loss to the party. His dedication to public service and his contributions to the nation will always be remembered," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
"My condolences are with the entire Patil family, his well-wishers, and supporters in this hour of grief," Gandhi said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the news of the passing of Patil is deeply saddening.
"May God grant peace to the departed soul. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and well-wishers. Shri Patil ji held responsibility for several important departments, including the Ministry of Defence, and served the public for decades. His passing is an irreparable loss to the Congress family," she said in a post in Hindi on X.
"My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and countless supporters. May they find strength in this difficult hour, and may his soul rest in peace," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Congress general secretary organisation K C Venugopal remembered Patil as an able administrator who left a lasting impact on the country.
"We have lost a stalwart of the Congress Party, who was loved across party lines for his dedication, humility and excellence in public service. May his family and well-wishers find the strength to bear this loss. He will be remembered fondly for times to come. Om Shanti," he said.
Patil is survived by his son Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana, and two granddaughters.
Born on October 12, 1935, Patil began his political journey as the president of the Latur municipality between 1966 and 1970, and was subsequently elected as an MLA for two terms. He held key posts in the Maharashtra Assembly, including those of deputy speaker and speaker, between 1977 and 1979.
He then went on to win the Latur Lok Sabha seat seven times and became the 10th speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. He lost to BJP's Rupatai Patil Nilangekar in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. He also served as a Rajya Sabha member.
The Congress leader held several Union government portfolios, including defence, commerce, and science and technology. Patil was the Union home minister from 2004 to 2008, when he resigned after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
He was the governor of Punjab and also served as the administrator of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.
Deeply saddened by the passing of former Union Home Minister, Former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran Congress leader Shri Shivraj Patil. He was an honoured senior colleague with whom I shared a close bond and many cherished memories.
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) December 12, 2025
A statesman of great dignity, Shri Patil served… pic.twitter.com/oXwDGNcIvm
पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री और वरिष्ठ कांग्रेस नेता शिवराज पाटिल जी के निधन का समाचार अत्यंत दुखद है और पार्टी के लिए एक अपूरणीय क्षति है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 12, 2025
जनसेवा के प्रति उनका समर्पण, राष्ट्र के लिए उनके योगदान हमेशा याद किए जाएंगे।
इस दुख की घड़ी में मेरी संवेदनाएं पूरे पाटिल परिवार, उनके…
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Single higher education regulator bill tabled in LS; Oppn flags ‘centralisation,' JPC likely
New Delhi: A bill to set up a 13-member body to regulate institutions of higher education was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which seeks to establish an overarching higher education commission along with three councils for regulation, accreditation, and ensuring academic standards for universities and higher education institutions in India.
Meanwhile, the move drew strong opposition, with members warning that it could weaken institutional autonomy and result in excessive centralisation of higher education in India.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, earlier known as the Higher Education Council of India (HECI) Bill, has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The proposed legislation seeks to merge three existing regulatory bodies, the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), into a single unified body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan.
At present, the UGC regulates non-technical higher education institutions, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education in India.
Under the proposed framework, the new commission will function through three separate councils responsible for regulation, accreditation, and the maintenance of academic standards across universities and higher education institutions in the country.
According to the Bill, the present challenges faced by higher educational institutions due to the multiplicity of regulators having non-harmonised regulatory approval protocols will be done away with.
The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education, including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs.
At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Government to refer bill to JPC; Oppn slams it
The government has expressed its willingness to refer it to a joint committee after several members of the Lok Sabha expressed strong opposition to the Bill, stating that they were not given time to study its provisions.
Responding to the opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government intends to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination.
Congress Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari warned that the Bill could result in “excessive centralisation” of higher education. He argued that the proposed law violates the constitutional division of legislative powers between the Union and the states.
According to him, the Bill goes beyond setting academic standards and intrudes into areas such as administration, affiliation, and the establishment and closure of university campuses. These matters, he said, fall under Entry 25 of the Concurrent List and Entry 32 of the State List, which cover the incorporation and regulation of state universities.
Tewari further stated that the Bill suffers from “excessive delegation of legislative power” to the proposed commission. He pointed out that crucial aspects such as accreditation frameworks, degree-granting powers, penalties, institutional autonomy, and even the supersession of institutions are left to be decided through rules, regulations, and executive directions. He argued that this amounts to a violation of established constitutional principles governing delegated legislation.
Under the Bill, the regulatory council will have the power to impose heavy penalties on higher education institutions for violating provisions of the Act or related rules. Penalties range from ₹10 lakh to ₹75 lakh for repeated violations, while establishing an institution without approval from the commission or the state government could attract a fine of up to ₹2 crore.
Concerns were also raised by members from southern states over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill. N.K. Premachandran, an MP from the Revolutionary Socialist Party representing Kollam in Kerala, said even the name of the Bill was difficult to pronounce.
He pointed out that under Article 348 of the Constitution, the text of any Bill introduced in Parliament must be in English unless Parliament decides otherwise.
DMK MP T.M. Selvaganapathy also criticised the government for naming laws and schemes only in Hindi. He said the Constitution clearly mandates that the nomenclature of a Bill should be in English so that citizens across the country can understand its intent.
Congress MP S. Jothimani from Tamil Nadu’s Karur constituency described the Bill as another attempt to impose Hindi and termed it “an attack on federalism.”
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